“A collision was only narrowly avoided and chance played a major part”

A report into the incident

The 20ins drone reportedly passed over the plane’s right wing and right stabiliser, before coming close to the tail fin.

The plane was flying at 200mph just 200m from the Shard – which is the tallest building in Europe.

If it had hit the 95-storey building, a disaster similar to the 9-11 terror attack may have unfolded.

GETTY

DRONE: An unmanned aerial vehicle

A report into the incident said: “The board considered that the pilot’s estimate of separation, allied to his overall account of the incident, portrayed a situation where a collision had only been narrowly avoided and chance had played a major part.”

It was the third time in three days a drone almost hit a plane coming in to land at Heathrow.